Is there anything I should know or should avoid? Should you always go to the dealer?

There's a company servicing Glasgow that even offers roadside key programming/replacement but as the locksmith industry doesn't seem to be regulated there's no way really to check if it's OK as the trade assc seems pretty under-used.

Anyone had to to similar? It's the 2nd key and we're sure it's in the house just disappeared with all the moving about before Xmas.

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Joined: 6/10/2005 From: A breaking rope bridge in the middle of the jungle

I was going to say Timpsons - outside of the dealer, they seem to be the only ones who can do car keys properly, and they offer a warranty on the key (can't remember how long), will replace the body of the key as well if necessary, and give you a freephone number for roadside assistance should the key fail. But they will charge half, maybe even a third of what a dealer charges. As Ghidorah says, make sure you give them any codes and chips.

Avoid any other key cutters, unless they are car key specialists like Timpsons. A mechanic once told me that car keys need a slightly different type (or grade) of metal than other keys, and that most key cutters didn't use the right metal, so the ridges and grooves on the copy key would deteriorate very quickly. I don't know if that's true, but I have had copy keys from bog-standard key cutters in the past that have indeed stopped working after only a few months use. I've not personally used Timpsons, but I know people who have, and their keys are still working years later.

All this is made slightly more complicated if the car is a lot more recent and the key and relating locking system have more "intelligent" security. At that point, I think the dealer is the only option.

We did find the key (I have suspicions about the 'find' - my husband claims it was in the drawer all the time, which is bobbins AND it seems to have reappeared without its fob which is not in the drawer it was claimed to be in all the time ) but it did decide us we need a proper spare for the car. It's really helpful info about Timpsons, thank you - I'm sure there's one not far from us.